I Will Preface My Comments by making clear I am by no means suggesting that we refrain from praying to God and commit our prayers to the Lord Jesus like the “churches” do, for Jesus himself says “pray then like this: Our Father who art in Heaven;” and in another place we are told to pray to God asking in the name of Christ (John 14:15). But I ask you, is it appropriate, not only so — is it advantageous — that we also make as part of our daily routine thanksgiving to our Savior?
The lepers and Paul
Consider the ten lepers Jesus met on the way to Jerusalem in Luke 17. They lifted up their voices and petitioned Jesus: “Master, have mercy on us.” After being healed, the ten departed to the priest, “and one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him (Jesus) thanks.” Several items of interest may be noted:
- Petition (request) was made to Jesus.
- Praise was attributed to God in the form of thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus.
- Were we not in the identical position of these lepers (outside the camp and without fellowship with God) before this Jesus became our Savior?
In pursuing this thought, we see this in action. Paul, once Saul, “a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee,” recalling his previous status, emphatically utters, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who bath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” (I Tim. 1:12).
In the kingdom
A question to answer is, “Is there a difference in our worship today and that of the Kingdom?” For we know that in the Book of Revelation “the twenty-four elders (typifying the saints in the Kingdom) fell down before the Lamb” and sang to him, “Worthy is the Lamb…” (Rev. 5:12). Thus it is clear that, in the Kingdom, worship and praise will be offered to Jesus. Yet does this mean worship to this divine personage is permissible today?
Additional examples
Better than ten times “in the days of his flesh” Jesus was worshipped (Matt. 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; 20:20, etc.). This worship was sometimes in the form of imploring: “Lord (Jesus), help me” (15:25).
We know that Jesus Christ in his ascension to heaven was exalted in status. If he rightly received worship in the days of his flesh, is he not worthy of much more worship today in his position at the Father’s right hand? Paul states that on account of his obedience unto death, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow (in worship today), of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:8-10).
Again we find that God is glorified in our reverential worship to Jesus. In Acts 19, many of the Ephesian residents ‘extolled the name of the Lord Jesus’ (v. 17) after a notable miracle was performed instilling fear into them. Peter concludes the words of his second epistle with an expression of praise to Christ: “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him (Christ) be glory both now and forever. Amen” (II Pet. 3:18). Therefore, the glory attributed to him today is the identical glory (yet not to the magnitude) he shall receive from all the incorruptible saints.
Requests of Jesus
So worship of various forms to the Lord Jesus is acceptable; well, what about communication? The last words of Stephen were in the form of a petition: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” and again, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge” (Acts 7:59-60).
In another place, a prayer of importunity is offered to the Lord Jesus by Paul: “Three times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me.” Who is the Lord spoken of here? At first we might assume this is God. Let’s continue, “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses that the power (s.w. above) of Christ may rest upon me” (II Cor. 12:8-9 RSV). Paul recognizes it is the strength of Christ that is “made perfect in weakness.”
In one final place and possibly the most emphatic, John, in his last words which conclude and culminate the revelation of God to man said, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20). We should all together echo these words in our eager desire for the Lord’s imminent advent.
Our application
To classify my thoughts: I do not deem it necessary to address the Lord Jesus in our congregational prayers for the sake of those who may feel uncomfortable, insofar as we may all pray “with one accord.” But I do believe it to be good practice and extremely fitting to whisper to ourselves after partaking of the emblems a word of thanks to him who laid down his life that we “might have life and have it more abundantly.”
I ask then that you consider the information set forth and draw your own conclusions from the Bible, which I hope has been duly set forth.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One